Researchers explain spleen-heart connection in cardiac repair
New Delhi, Aug 30 (ANI): Using a mouse model of heart failure, a team of researchers recently discovered new mechanisms to help define how the spleen and heart coordinate physiological inflammation in cardiac repair. The lipid mediator sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) in the spleen and heart interacts during the transition from acute to chronic heart failure. The spleen holds a whole army of immune cells and signalling molecules that can be rapidly mobilized to respond whenever a major injury like a heart attack or viral invasion. S1P is a lipid mediator deregulated during inflammatory responses, including heart failure. Cardiac-specific S1P and S1PR1 levels were reduced in patients with ischemic heart failure. The spleen should not be underestimated, because it contributes to the foundation of our immune health as well as the root cause of inflammatory diseases, including cardiovascular disease.
